Archmage's Restaurant - Chapter 36: The Dwarf Village (3)
“Hissss, hisss.”
The orcs hissed as they surrounded us. It might sound like meaningless howling, but it’s the orcish language. To me, it just sounds like hissing.
This is where Rurin comes in. There’s no language a dragon can’t understand.
“Rurin, what are they saying?”
“No, don’t kill… Capture them… They said!”
At my request, Rurin began to interpret the orcs’ conversation in real-time.
“Hisss?”
Another orc chattered. I looked at Rurin again.
“Did they really say that? They’re stupid.”
Rurin translated, mocking them.
“Hiss, hisss?”
“But who are these humans?”
Now Rurin’s automatic translation kicked in. Convenient.
“Hiss, hiss hiss!”
“Intruders! Capture and kill them!”
“Hissss, hisss!”
“Ugh! Annoying! Enough translating! We’re going to kill them anyway!”
The translator malfunctioned and exploded.
It’s efficient but lacks patience.
Frankly, it’s not wrong. Orcs are enemies of humans.
Countless people died to the orc legions in the last war. Even now, they’re capturing and oppressing the dwarves.
“Alright, do as you please.”
When I gave my approval, Rurin raised her hand high.
Boom!
The orcs in front of Rurin were engulfed by powerful mana, causing them to explode. It was a spell that made them combust as if they were self-immolating.
Boom!
Explosions and flames.
Soon, the orcs were charred and collapsed.
“Hisss! Hiss!”
The orcs in the back, startled, drew their weapons and charged, but I quickly incinerated them with rapid-fire flames.
Smoke rose.
The orcs were dead.
The dwarf, with a shocked face, stared at us with his mouth agape. The short dwarf was half my height. He looked a bit funny sitting down.
“Amazing! Human, you are strong!”
I went straight to the point with the impressed dwarf.
“Can you lead us to where the other dwarves are captured? We need the dwarves’ help, so we’ll help you.”
“A request? But… There are many orcs. I think there are about 100 of them.”
“And yet you escaped alone?”
That would make him a rather dishonorable dwarf. Dwarves are known for their strong sense of kinship, unlike humans.
“I am a dwarf. I didn’t escape alone. I ran to find other dwarves for help. We couldn’t stay captured by the orcs forever. If they hadn’t taken young dwarves as hostages, I would’ve fought to the death!”
“Ah, I see. So, what’s your name, dwarf?”
“I am Berinum.”
“I’m El.”
“Thank you for the help, humans. But it’s still too many. Unless an army comes. So, I will find my kin.”
“It’s not difficult.”
“Two humans against 100 orcs? I’m not a foolish dwarf.”
“Just guide us, please.”
“But… you will die.”
The dwarf stammered, still doubtful. Rurin, frustrated, glared at the dwarf.
Too annoyed to speak, she just stared.
The dwarf, catching Rurin’s eye, froze.
Dragon Fear emanated from Rurin. It’s proof of a higher being not possible from a human body.
Usually, strong Fear can kill weak monsters or humans.
But that’s in dragon form.
In polymorph, it doesn’t kill but can knock out.
I don’t need to stop her since revealing her identity to the dwarves is necessary for building the lair.
“W-Who are you… Great one?”
The dwarf, overwhelmed, stammered and bowed to the ground.
Elves and dwarves worship dragons as great beings. That’s why Elena bowed to Rurin immediately upon seeing her.
“Great one! I mistook you for a mere human…”
“Rurin, don’t scare him too much. We need to work together, and scaring him won’t help.”
“But I can’t tolerate disrespect to you.”
“Alright, calm down. If he faints, it’ll complicate things.”
I patted her head to calm her. Rurin, still fuming, nodded and stepped back.
The dwarf, in pain, caught his breath once the Fear lifted.
“But how… A human with a great one…”
The dwarf, puzzled, stiffened as Rurin glared again.
“El is greater than a human! Just as great as I am!”
“If you don’t guide us quickly, the dragon will get angry.”
“Y-Yes! This way! This way!”
The dwarf, sweating profusely, led us hurriedly. Trembling with tension and fear from the presence of a being far beyond the orcs.
We passed the mines and left the basin, moving deep into the mountains until we found an underground bunker-like place.
“The orcs built an underground fortress here. It was built by us dwarves. We are trapped inside.”
The dwarf’s speech was strange, trying to be formal.
The entrance he pointed to was empty.
“Can you wait here? I’ll go rescue the other dwarves.”
“Thank you. We won’t forget your help.”
The dwarf thanked me and bowed to Rurin again before we stormed the underground fortress.
The entrance was empty, but orcs soon filled the tunnels.
Boom!
Using wide-area magic, I began frying the orcs. The burning smell filled the underground passage.
After incinerating the orc horde, we descended into a large space. It was the orcs’ home and prison where dwarves were forced to work in the forge.
The structure resembled an ant nest.
The dwarves must’ve built this. Their construction skills will be essential for the lair.
“Rurin, let’s take down the orcs.”
“Hehe, this is exciting!”
Rurin, unleashing her draconic battle instincts, released her mana with a gleeful expression.
“Hiss, hisss!”
“Human intruders! Die! they said. So arrogant.”
“Really?”
The translator restarted without command.
Simultaneously, Rurin’s mana storm erupted, causing orcs to explode all around. I joined in, attacking every orc I saw.
Ashes here, ashes there.
Using explosive magic caused the underground to shake and dirt to fall. This wasn’t ideal.
“Hisss hiss!”
Realizing they were under attack, more orcs kept emerging. It was nearly an army. We were in the central plaza of their nest.
The orcs all gathered here.
Around the circular plaza were the dwarves’ prison and the forge where they were forced to work.
The dwarves, wide-eyed with surprise, looked at Rurin and me.
Collapsing the underground would crush the dwarves, so I switched to ice magic.
The orcs began to freeze. Intense cold swept the plaza floor.
“Hisss!”
Sensing high-level magic, the orcs howled louder.
“Hiss!”
“Quiet! Stop hissing!”
Annoyed by the noise, the translator malfunctioned again, exploding.
Rurin, emitting Dragon Fear, frightened the orcs untouched by the ice.
Rumble!
The underground shook again.
The intense presence of Dragon Fear enveloped the underground fortress.
“Hisss! Hisss! Hiss!”
Realizing the meaning of the Fear, the orcs started fleeing madly. Those not frozen by my ice magic escaped, but only a few survived.
Recognizing Rurin as a dragon, the orcs abandoned any will to fight.
Faced with Dragon Fear, creatures usually have two choices: grovel or flee.
Sometimes, they die at the dragon’s hands regardless of their choice.
And there are those like me who choose to fight.
Anyway, the orcs chose to flee.
“They were annoying.”
The only annoying part was the translation. Rurin, after scattering mana at the fleeing orcs, wiped her forehead, though she hadn’t sweated a drop.
The freed dwarves, too, sensed the Fear. But while the orcs fled, the dwarves knelt and bowed.
The dwarves rushed to bow before Rurin.
***
Every living being has an ideal.
For me, it’s the peace of a restaurant. For dwarves, it’s the pursuit of superior craftsmanship.
Their obsession with technology, starting from iron forging, has endured for ages.
At this moment.
From the scene of their destroyed village covered by a collapsed mountain, I gathered the dwarves to explain future plans, presenting them with blueprints.
Though they seemed downcast due to the destroyed village, their eyes lit up upon seeing the blueprints.
“We plan to lay premium marble everywhere. Separate levels and numerous rooms, with the most important being the dragon’s chamber. It will combine dragon magic and dwarf craftsmanship. The best dragon lair ever conceived. I believe it’s possible with this design.”
“Ooooh!”
“Ooh!”
The gathered dwarves expressed their interest. The chief among them asked on behalf of the group.
“You’ve made such a space underground?”
“Yes.”
The dwarves exchanged exclamations.
Rurin was seated atop a makeshift stone pile the dwarves hastily built.
As soon as they returned to the destroyed village, they rapidly stacked stones and invited Rurin to rest there.
Rurin ended up there, and the dwarves all bowed below her like worshippers.
Rurin became a deity.
“Great one!”
The dwarves couldn’t move, bowing before Rurin.
Then Rurin addressed the dwarves.
“Indeed. I am great. Hehe. Right?”
It was impressive until she looked at me and giggled.
Any majesty vanished in an instant. Within about a second.
At least in my eyes.
The dwarves continued to show reverence.
They seemed curious about my relationship with Rurin, but there wasn’t much to explain. I could only say she was my companion. It was a vague explanation, but there’s no clear answer about our relationship.
Seeing my magic, the dwarves stopped questioning and began addressing me as “El-nim.”